February / March 2020 President’s Report

09 Apr February / March 2020 President’s Report

The WLASA held its annual Strategy Day on 6 February 2020 and I wanted to dedicate this President’s report to sharing the WLASA’s newly developed 2020-2023 Strategic Plan (‘the Strategic Plan’) that was endorsed by the Committee at the Strategy Day, together with some of the exciting initiatives that will take place in 2020 that were agreed as part of the Strategic Plan.

Following feedback and suggestions received from members in the WLASA’s 2019 Engagement Survey, the Strategic Plan focusses on three strategic priorities that will be implemented over the term of the Strategic Plan, namely:-

To position the WLASA as a leading resource and advocate for women in the legal profession at all stages of their careers;

To become a peak body representing the legal rights and interests of women across all areas of society by influencing the reform of policy, legislation and legal processes; and

To maintain the effective and appropriate operation of the WLASA to ensure sustainability and support the delivery of services to its members.

These priorities reflect the WLASA’s commitment to:-

Taking active steps to increase the reach of its work to ensure that the evolving needs of the WLASA’s growing and diverse membership base are addressed;

Supporting all women in the legal profession and in the community more broadly to achieve genuine equality; and

Achieving ongoing improvement of the organisation to ensure its sustainability and to strengthen its capacity to have a positive effect and act as a catalyst for change in both the legal and wider community.

The WLASA is confident that this plan, supported by an ongoing dialogue and engagement with our members, will allow it to deliver targeted outcomes and, most importantly, meet the expectations of its members.

I encourage you to review the Strategic Plan and the agreed initiatives that will take place in 2020 as part of the Strategic Plan (click here to access).

It seems like a lifetime ago that the members of this vibrant, innovative and dynamic WLASA Committee came together on a sunny Sunday morning in February to discuss the strategic priorities and goals for the WLASA.

Although the world has well and truly been turned on its head since that time, it is clear to our Committee that providing support to our members at this incredibly difficult and uneasy time has never been more important.

We understand that this is a challenging time for many of our members and we know how important a sense of community is in times of such uncertainty. What remains a constant for us is our commitment to support you, our members, and identifying ways to best support your needs.

Although some of the initiatives that we had planned to bring you in 2020 may have to look a little different due to the restrictions that COVID-19 have placed upon us all, we are nevertheless determined to continue the work of the WLASA and, in doing so, ensure that our member are able to benefit from as many of the initiatives that we have planned for 2020 as possible.

We will provide you with regular updates on how we will be doing this through our website and social media channels (Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn), as well as through future President’s reports and newsletters.

We would also welcome any suggestions you may have on how the WLASA can best support your or your organisations’ needs over this time. Please email any suggestions or thoughts you have to admin@womenlawyerssa.org.au.

But for now, we hope you and your loved ones stay safe and healthy.

Take care

Kym

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